This interactive design tool simulates loading patterns and solves for the geometry of thin-shell structures under pure compression. Traditionally, shell form finding was achieved by creating physical models from cloth and string, loading them with hanging weights or other forces, and carefully measuring their geometry at equilibrium. Now, anyone can run form finding simulations from their laptop and design these forms virtually.

This tool implements both static and dynamic simulation methods to solve for shell geometry. The static simulation uses the force-density method to solve a linear system of equations for the steady-state equilibrium positions of every node in the system given a force density (force per unit length) at each edge. The dynamic simulation uses a mass-spring-damper system to model interactions between nodes through edges. By adjusting the topology and material properties of the structure, it is possible to achieve many diverse forms.

Live demo here, code on Github.